Fanatics Overhauls Its Management Team Following Resignation Of President Jamie Davis

Davis grew tired of commuting and is looking for work in the Northeast

JAMIE DAVIS has resigned as President of Business Management & Development for online retailer Fanatics. His responsibilities now will be handled by both CMO CHRIS ORTON, who was hired in June, and Exec VP/Business Affairs GARY GERTZOG, who was hired from the NFL last September. Davis' move comes after the company hired several execs -- including CEO DOUG MACK, who was brought on board in April -- and has made several high-profile hires like Orton and Chief Technology Officer MATT MADRIGAL, who was hired this month. Davis, the former head of Versus, said he has tired of commuting and is looking for work in the Northeast. For the past two years, he has commuted every week from his Philadelphia home to Fanatics' HQ in Jacksonville (John Ourand, Staff Writer). RECODE.net's Jason Del Rey noted Fanatics also hired Amazon veteran LONNIE PHILLIPS as VP/Operations "to help oversee the company’s fulfillment centers." With the moves, Fanatics President of Technology KEVIN BATES "will slide over into a general manager role on the business side of the company while current COO BRENT TRAGER has decided to leave the company." The new hires come as Mack "sets out to build brand awareness and technology prowess at Fanatics, which was profitable" in '13 on revenue of around $1B, but which is "still far from a household name." Mack believes that the company "has plenty of room for improvement, from how it uses data to attract new customers, market its own properties and promote its partners’ online shops, to how efficiently its warehouses operate during peak seasons." As such, Fanatics plans to "dramatically expand its technology staff, most notably in its small" S.F. office. The company also plans to "invest aggressively in marketing" (RECODE.net, 8/20).